Pekano / Visone - Scattaglia / Alessandri 1775

📜 Description
Original Venetian engraving produced between 1771 and 1775 by Pietro Scattaglia and Ignazio Alessandri, published by C. Palese and taken from the work “Animali quadrupedi dal naturale dissegnati, incisi e miniati (...)”. The plate depicts two small mammals belonging to the mustelid family, identified by the inscriptions as “Pekano” and “Visone”, represented within a naturalistic setting composed of rocks, wild vegetation, and grassy ground. The composition combines descriptive purpose with encyclopedic intent, reflecting the scientific and educational taste of the late eighteenth century, when illustrated zoological collections were conceived both for natural history study and for the dissemination of knowledge among cultivated audiences. The two animals are shown in different attitudes, one standing upright and the other moving across the ground, emphasizing anatomy, posture, and behavior. The lower inscription clearly identifies the depicted species, while the structure of the plate follows the typical arrangement of eighteenth-century zoological illustrations, in which the animal is isolated within a simplified landscape functional to the scientific reading of the image. The etching is enhanced by contemporary hand-coloring, contributing to the naturalistic distinction of the subjects and to the descriptive clarity of the composition.

📚 Historical-Artistic Note
Pietro Scattaglia and Ignazio Alessandri were active in Venice during the eighteenth century as engravers specializing in naturalistic and decorative subjects. Illustrated zoological collections published in eighteenth-century Venice responded to the growing diffusion of encyclopedic and natural history studies promoted by Enlightenment culture. The work “Animali quadrupedi dal naturale dissegnati, incisi e miniati (...)” belongs to this editorial tradition, combining direct observation, didactic purpose, and decorative quality through plates intended both for consultation and for the collection of antique natural history prints.

🧾 Technical Sheet
Type: original engraving
Author / Manufacture: Pietro Scattaglia / Ignazio Alessandri
Publisher / Printer: C. Palese
Place: Venice
Period: 1771-1775
Material: paper
Technique: etching
Coloring: contemporary hand-coloring
Subject / Title: “1) Pekano 2) Visone”
Edition / Print Run: from “Animali quadrupedi dal naturale dissegnati, incisi e miniati (...)”
Dimensions: sheet 34.5 x 49 cm ; engraving 26.5 x 36 cm
Marks / Signatures / Inscriptions: numbering “CLV” upper right ; subject inscriptions below image

🔍 Condition Report
Overall in excellent condition. Some occasional foxing consistent with age and the nature of the paper. Contemporary hand-coloring well preserved and overall readability of the image fully maintained.